The traditional stencil is one prior art writing training device in which the proper manner of writing is mastered by tracing a guide with a writing instrument. A stencil is a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material.
A first drawback of a stencil is that to be formed from a continuous piece of material, stencils of letters and numerals which encircle a hole, such as a, b, p, d, 8, 9, and 0, must have a small break where the hole portion is connected to the rest of the outline. These characters therefore cannot be written with one continuous stroke. At the break in the stencil the writing instrument stops and the student must lift the writing instrument and place it on the other side of the break, disrupting the flow of the writing process. Having to lift the pencil off the paper is detrimental to learning to write characters properly, and may exacerbate the problems that those with reading and writing difficulties are trying to overcome.
The second drawback is that during the process of learning to write and spell, the child must find the appropriate letter stencil, line it up with the last letter, trace it, and then find next letter, etc., repeating this process for each letter in the word being written. This is a cumbersome, time-consuming process which disrupts the flow of learning to write and spell. In addition, the stencil of a given letter covers letters of the same word which were previously written, preventing the student from being able to visualize the word as they write.
The third drawback is that stencils are often used with an underlying surface, such as paper, which is used once and then thrown away. This approach is an unnecessary waste of money and natural resources.
Finally, the fourth drawback is that the stencil must be held in place with the other hand while the student uses it. This process is also cumbersome, and if the stencil is not held firmly, it slips, and the image is not formed correctly. Therefore, the student will soon get bored or frustrated, and sufficient training will not be obtained.